Nancy Basket: "Cherokee Up All Night"

By Johnny Thomas Fowler

Published November 10, 2023 at 9:39 AM EST

Nancy Basket helped form the first modern basketry guild in Seattle in 1980, and moved to South Carolina ten years later. She makes pine needle and kudzu baskets — large and miniature, lamp shades, paper designs, kudzu cloth, and large 8-foot sculptures depicting Cherokee stories. In 2005 she received the prestigious South Carolina Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award. Her work has received raving national reviews. She is a popular feature at powwows and earthskills events.

Johnny Thomas Fowler

Johnny has been part of the WNCW family for over 30 years. He is a professional storyteller and musician whose work is rooted in the traditions of old-time music and folk culture. John has received numerous honors, including First Place Banjo at the Mountain Dance Folk Festival and being a two-time Harmonica Champion at the Fiddler’s Grove Old Time Music Festival. It is a true honor for him to host the very popular This Old Porch on WNCW.

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